A familiar land of familiar faces, but not quite the same. Equestria stands now at the forefront of the world, united in name and divided in truth. While no overt struggle dares to rear its head, and with no true leader amongst the ruling class, battles of subterfuge and sabotage are waged in the capital, Canterlot.The city, built atop a mountain littered with great gouts of flowing water and the power of numerous waterfalls, has prospered as a city like none other. Where other cities are constantly filled with an oppressive smog, the capital’s air remains clean and utterly unblemished, the spiraling white towers unmarred by the soot and ash common to those living in the lowlands, and the skies are a clear, light blue hue. And it is here that blood is shed to determine whose voice is heard, whose influence is greatest, and whose child shall succeed.It is in Canterlot where fortunes are made, families forged, and bloodlines forgotten. Where nobles watch the nobles, and peasants perform the filthiest labors.

And it is here that our story begins.MaterialsMaterials are important, and since we don't have magic in our world, it's important for me to at least list some magical properties of the absolutely most common materials around. So without further ado:

This reflects the ability of a material itself to both be enchanted and to hold onto an enchantment. Such spells are stronger and more efficient on more enchantable materials, and better spells can be placed on them without causing magical strain that would itself destroy the material.

This list reflects the ability of a solid material to transfer magic between two points. While all materials can transfer magic on some level, a magical conductor is useful for actually directing it, like electricity. This is useful for directing magic from, say, a large, expensive mana battery, into a smaller, more precise, or cheaper-to-produce magical object, or for shifting energy from a small, fragile collector in a weapon into the stronger body of the weapon for later use.

Mana BatteriesOnly transparent and translucent crystals are good for large-scale magic absorption, diffusion, and energy storage; while all crystalline structures can be made to absorb energy, it’s a function purely of surface area and is quite limited, only fueling weak enchantments. Gemstones and True Crystal can absorb large amounts of energy from the environment and can channel energy more strongly than mundane materials, and large crystals can store massive amounts of magical energy. When in use in such applications, these materials are known as lenses or mana batteries, depending on if they direct a spell on their own or if they merely serve to store energy for something else to channel.However, these materials are brittle, and storing magic can make them somewhat unstable, meaning they are more likely to break, and then the magical energy has to go somewhere (as it’s normally contained by the bonds between the atoms of the crystal). While this is typically of little concern with other materials, gemstones hold enough magical energy to make this fact very significant.

True CrystalTrue Crystal is a rare material available only from the Crystal Empire (who would have guessed?) with magical properties that make it ideal for almost all arcane applications, and attempts by crystal ponies to spread their manufacturing elsewhere have continuously failed. In the past, this material was even more expensive, and its trade was essentially dead (its magical properties weren’t worth the price), but the return of the Empire to the present time has reawoken the trade of True Crystal.The production of True Crystal involves the careful cultivation of crystal growth by a skilled professional, which can only be properly performed at certain locations in the Empire that have to be located manually by crystal ponies. This severely limits how much can be produced at a time, but once grown, it is very easy to bond it to other crystal, and it can be safely cleaved into multiple sections if so desired, allowing for a limited mass production of small gemstones.

OrichalcumOrichalcum (also known as Goddess’s Blood or Sun’s Tears) is a rare mineral found in various locations around Equestria, with the largest deposits being located in the Everfree regions. Pieces of the Castle of the Goddess seem to have been haphazardly constructed out of orichalcum (past tense, as any pieces that were located were swiftly looted), perhaps indicating that the material can be created through magical methods, though no one has ever succeeded in synthesizing it.

AluminumAluminum is only available in commercial quantities from the pegasi cities, and the method of its manufacture is a closely guarded secret among the industrial guilds. This fact has allowed numerous pegasi to rise into a nobility that used to exclude them, for the most part. Many of these new nobles have moved their personal homes to Canterlot and to the ground, where displaying their opulence is significantly easier, and the wealth of these nouveau riche has brought into the upper class has revitalized the rather stagnant city.

Politics & SocietyPatricians & PlebeiansThroughout Equestria a largely-hereditary nobility has long held the most sway both politically and economically. For as long as anypony can remember, it’s always been this way, with rulers born to rule, and servants born to serve. Thus, the nobility.Basically all of the land in Equestria is outright owned by some noble or other, and the land is merely leased to the lower citizenry. This ensures the nobility’s interest in the well being of their plebeians (sick or unhappy peasants are not nearly as productive as happy ones), but the nobles are still ultimately richer by virtue of taking shares from so many individuals’ incomes.Still, tensions are always high between these two castes. The nobility always want more from their constituents, and they see insubordination and rebellion everywhere; being kept busy with one another and the constant plots in the capital is more than enough to keep them from developing an iron hoof, however, though local enforcers occasionally overstep their bounds and cause undue pain. The peasantry, on the other hoof, typically see the nobility as taking too much from them (particularly the more middle-class and skilled workers), but they also see that the nobility is strong, has a military (that both protects them and keeps rebellions down), and most importantly, they know that mob rule leads to horrible results, and they would prefer the tyrants they know over some strange, unknown ones.

Races and TribesEveryone sees the world through their own little set of glasses, and perhaps the most obvious traits that separate any two ponies are their tribe; for centuries, the tribes may have been living “together”, but interracial relations have always been the minority, and their cultures are far from homogenized. Every culture has certain values that they revere, and certain sins they see as unforgivable. This has led to plenty of stereotypes that describe the tribes in less-than-wonderful lights.In simple terms:Unicorns keep their heads in the clouds (probably staring at pegasus plot, because everyone knows that anypony as repressed as a unicorn really, really needs to get it on), cold-hearted, and are afraid of letting their feelings show. They make up the vast majority of the nobility and their retinues, and while commoner unicorns are not uncommon either, they are seen to typically live lives of luxury and excess.Pegasi are brutish, violent creatures with a knack for breaking everything and ruining law and order. They’re upstarts, and all the “noble” pegasi don’t understand a thing about culture or style, throwing clouds and rainbows at everything rather than good old-fashioned gold or crystal. They’ve got their heads just as high in the clouds as unicorns, and can’t be bothered with anything resembling tradition or thinking of consequences.Earth ponies are stubborn as hell, even if they’re a bit more sensible than pegasi. Sure, they can’t handle things like “change” or actually improving how they do things, but they do do things. Like, farming. They know their place, and they know to stay there where they belong. Except for those goddamn merchants and inventy ones, but they’re basically unicorns anyway.The minority populations tend to be viewed in even more negative lights, though a bit more simplistically. Changelings are dishonest creatures that don’t care about ponies, they just want to eat your love without caring if it hurts you (even if we do allow them to live openly among us now. But they better stay in their goddamn part of town.). Zebras are basically unicorns without horns, though being a bit exotic gets them some places earth ponies can’t get to. Minotaurs get the same brutish treatment as pegasi, with all the stubbornness of earth ponies. And anyone else is so unusual that they just get filed as “aberrant, strange, weird” or just plain “what the hell is this?” in ponies’ minds.

MagicIn Equestria, there are two kinds of mage: channelers and sorcerers. Unicorns are all born to one or the other subset, and cannot traverse to the other, though there is a small amount of crossover in some abilities.Channelers act similarly to how mana batteries work, absorbing magic from their surroundings over time and storing it within their bodies. They can actively absorb magical energy as well, which aids them in casting more energy-intensive spells. In general, channelers can push significantly more energy through their horns than sorcerers can, and can store significantly more magical energy, simply by virtue of having those muscles pushed to their limit more often. However, numerous spells and other defenses have been devised to cut channelers off from their external energy sources, which hinders them in a direct fight; additionally, machines can copy basically anything a channeler can do, since the energy comes from the same source.Sorcerers, on the other hand, are a strange class of creatures. Their bodies create magical energy from within themselves, and while typically they have a lower storage capacity, they tend to recharge faster than channelers because they don’t tend to demagic the local area while going from empty to full. In addition, since their magical energy comes from themselves, the magic of sorcerer’s is unique, and their spells have properties that are incredibly hard to replicate through even the finest-tuned arcane machinery.

Probably gonna add more stuff here later, if it comes up.

Geography: Being worked on. Ask questions, it'll draw the map better if I know what people care about. I am not just arbitrarily making 20 nobles who will never be interacted with just to assign them bits and pieces of land.

In fact, ask questions about anything and everything you feel is important. You're almost definitely going to have to or want to do some character rewrites to fit in, so don't be shy about doing so.

Extra Info, ManNo alicorns. Celestia and Luna disappeared a thousand years ago and nobody even realizes they existed anymore. Any solid record of them has been destroyed. Cadence was never born/ascended/whatevershewas. Twilight Sparkle never became the protege of an alicorn.Sombra rules the Crystal Empire openly and no nobles are willing to challenge his inherited right to rule (because that implies that you can challenge someone's inherited right to rule, after all).There is a semi-religious fixation on a figure known as The Goddess, who is said to move the heavens. Most depictions of her are as a unicorn, though there are some depictions of Her as a pegasus or earth pony, from some time periods of particularly strong tribal pride.Changelings had a hive mind. Past tense, because the unicorns broke it so they'd be easier to subjugate to pony rule rather than obeying a queen.

____________________________

I LOVE COMIC SANSHow about you?

Last edited by Brony_Khaos on Sun Dec 07, 2014 4:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

Yep, I'm interested, not sure which OC to use right now, but at the very least I am interested and will happily be watching for more updates.

Alright, there's three OC's I'm kind of wanting to use in this game. Now while I'm having trouble picking one, I was wondering if any of the three could be knocked out of the running right off the bat. The full sheets are here, while a brief summary's here.

First, there's Wisp, a sort of magically made ghost. She can barely effect anything in the physical plan unless she possess a physical body to do so with (which it has to be something inorganic and no larger than she is), but magic and the like she can interact with and it can hurt her severely.

Lastly, there's Jäger, my mad scientist creation. An earth pony who's died and been brought back to life a few times, and sometimes put back together with parts that weren't his originally after being forced to drink a strange serum that mutated him. Far tougher and a good bit stronger than the average pony, Jäger's also got a couple mechanical wings grafted onto his back as well as one of his forehooves are artificial. Jäger's to heavy to actually fly with the wings, they can just slow his fall down or add a little extra oomph to his jump.

Last edited by Zen on Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:01 pm; edited 3 times in total

I'll be signing up Diamond Mind for this thread. We can simply write out the mention of Celestia's school for gifted unicorns and instead keep Diamond in her/his home for those times to be taught to act as the next head of family and as a proper noble, instead gaining her cutie mark on finishing her tutoring. Diamond's magic type is Sorcery and she belongs to the Myalo noble family.

____________________________"You're very mistaken. I'm not locked in here with you. You all are locked in here with me."

I'll be signing up Final Wave, casting type..... um.... Sorceror, but with Blood Magic and lichingdom loophole. Basically, the fact that the body regenerates and maintains normal vital signs allows many of the pitfalls of blood magics effects on the caster's body to be lessened.

Lixir Plasma and Pure Light were both of the nobility, and became best of friends during their education at The School for Gifted Unicorns, and continued to be as they both attended the same university in Trottingham. During that time, Pure Light helped Lixir become a lich, while Lixir aided Light in discovering her own project, the properties of Harmonic Magic. They eventually became post-docs under Professor Unnerving Query, and the three of them labored tirelessly on a recovered magical artifact. Intact records hinted that the artifact may contain the secret to perpetual energy, leading the three of them into an unnatural obession, until the day the artifact exploded do to a faulty mana battery in one of the experiments.

Professor Query was killed, while Lixir and Pure sustained only minor physical injuries. Mentally however, they had each been infected with the soul of Garftua, a powerful blood mage. They were driven apart, each believing they had discovered the key to perpetual motion. Pure thought the secret was in the properties of Harmonic Light, while Lixir favored a self-sustaining reaction. Eventually, the rivalry became so great they decided to kill each other. They each carefully crafted a powerful tool of mass murder capable of being snuck into the next public debate in Trottingham. There' they attempted to end one another. However, he weapons reacted violently (as the blood mage's subconscious instructions to each of them had insured), killing the audience and fusing the two together. Now whole again, the blood mage had near full control of the body, with it's lich-like properties allowing his Blood magic to become even more powerful. 'Final Wave' could also draw upon the magical talents of Lixir an Pure, who each acted as a sort of 'think tank' for Garftua, with limited control over the body.

I will sign up the mighty Darkath Phlegethon this will be when he is a bit younger about 19 so he will be seven feet tall instead of thirteen. He carries his sword and crossbow all the time but hides them with his wings. His history will remain mostly the same but instead he has become a freelancer and serves to guard those who pay him.

Right. Tentatively, because I think some negotiation would be due before I actually enter my characters in their final state, I'd like to sign up Ician, as a sorceror, Ciergey, as a channeler, Vision as a sorceror, or Insight as a sorceror. I plan to play only one of them, or at most two, so I'd like to talk to you a little bit to a) find out which one you'd like most, and b) flesh out their history based on significant events in the timeline of PIU.

Alternatively, I could play my musician Harmony, who has no combat abilities or really any abilities at all other than playing music. I highly doubt she'd have much to do, but if she has a role she could fill for you if you want...

Okay, I'm taking Wise, Icee, and Lolk for now, since I have some vague idea about what the hell I'm going to do with that lot of ponies. And even then, still not sure where we're going, kinda just dropping that lot off wherever the hell I want and making them do things for a bit, then telling them "Go forth and watch the world burn. Paradise is Utopia."